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    Home » Gluten Free » Banana Oat Bars (Healthy Snacks for Kids) – Gluten Free

    Published: Nov 4, 2010 · Modified: May 29, 2012 by Carolyn

    Banana Oat Bars (Healthy Snacks for Kids) – Gluten Free

    This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    3.3K shares

    Well folks, it is time for me to face reality and accept the fact that I have a picky eater on my hands. Kiddo number three appears to have an exceptionally delicate palate and disdains all but a handful of food items. I believe this is what they call karma, or payback for all the years of grief I gave my own mother when I was a pint-sized picky eater. I’ve actually been wondering when this was going to happen, as my older two have robust appetites and enjoy a wide variety of foods. This little one, however, makes her distaste for things very clear, either by picking it up daintily and dropping it on the floor, or pushing any mouthfuls out with her tongue. It’s frustrating, to say the least. I suppose I simply have to wait it out and hope she outgrows it, as I did.

    In the meantime, I have to be creative in trying to find foods she will accept. I was feeding her some oatmeal and mashed banana the other day and wishing I could make it in a more solid form so that she could feed it to herself. I believe that the guardian angels of parents-with-picky-eaters must have heard my lament, as that very afternoon I happened upon this recipe I’d saved long ago on Foodgawker and promptly forgotten about. At first blush, it looks like a delicious dessert, which is why, of course, it caught my eye in the first place. But a more detailed reading of the ingredients shows it to be a fairly healthy treat, and with a little tinkering, I knew it could be just what I was looking for.

    The aforementioned tinkering entailed a few minor changes. I reduced the sugar because I knew that the bananas and the chocolate chips would make them sweet enough. I also omitted the nuts and replaced them with raisins and some shredded coconut for texture. I love nuts and think they would be an excellent addition to these bars. But as is the trend in many areas, my kids’ schools are nut-free and if these turned out as well as I hoped, I wanted to be able to pack these bars in their lunches. I also found that I had to bake them for much less time than the original recipe.

    The Results: Success! These bars were a hit with all three kids and the first batch is already gone. On the first taste, my little one did what she does with all unfamiliar food…she spat it back out. But I persisted and gave her another taste and her eyes lit up. She’s been gobbling it for breakfast every day (and sometimes for dinner or snack too!). I had a little taste of them myself, and they are delicious. They are chewy and hold together well, but they are soft enough for a child with only a few teeth to mash with her gums. And the best part of all is how easy and quick they are to make. I will be making another batch today, and this time I am going to leave out the sugar entirely, as I think they will be just as tasty without it.

    Banana Oat Bars – adapted from Sweet and Savory Tooth

    6 tablespoon butter or coconut oil, room temperature
    ¼ cup brown sugar (optional)
    1 egg
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    3 medium bananas, mashed
    2 cups old-fashioned oats (gluten free if necessary)
    ½ cup raisins (chopped smaller if you will be feeding this to babies)
    ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
    ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips

    Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 baking pan.

    With an electric mixer, cream butter or coconut oil and sugar, if using. Add egg and beat until well mixed. Add mashed banana and salt and stir until incorporated. Stir in oatmeal, raisins, shredded coconut and chocolate chips and stir until combined.

    Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 30-40 minutes or until firm and light golden brown. Let cool in pan and cut into squares.

    Now how easy is that???

    3.3K shares

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    Nutritional Disclaimer

    Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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    1. Michaela says

      August 22, 2016 at 6:31 pm

      My daughter lives this recipe! She is 12 months. I add peanutbutter too to get more protein in there and we eat them for breakfast. Her favorite part is the raisins!

      Reply
    2. Anonymous says

      May 12, 2012 at 1:17 am

      super delicious!!! I used molasses and a bit of honey instead of sugar and my picky eater loved it! thanks!!

      Reply
    3. Anonymous says

      March 05, 2012 at 10:57 am

      Hi, nice blog.
      Thank you for sharing this recipe.

      I made these (without sugar) for my 2 year old. Unfortunately, he only wanted to eat the raisins! I wouldn't eat the bars myself because I'm a low carber.

      Solution:
      I crumbled one bar and mixed it with yogurt. My son spooned away and asked for seconds!

      Reply
    4. Carolyn says

      January 07, 2012 at 12:58 pm

      Hi Igpars. There shouldn't be any sort of trick to it. I can do it myself, just copying and pasting the parts I need. Can I help in anyway? Is there a recipe I can cut and paste for you into a word.doc?

      Reply
    5. lgpars says

      January 06, 2012 at 5:43 pm

      Is there some secret to selecting and copying a recipe on your blog? I cannot for the life of me select just a portion of your blog and copy it (like the recipe for instance). It really get irritating because there is no way to copy and save the recipe. Please HELP!!!!

      Reply
    6. Anonymous says

      September 12, 2011 at 5:43 pm

      I made these and they are fantastic! I was looking for a healthy peanut free granola bar type to add to my daughters lunches. Do you know if coconut is considered a nut, and what I could substitute if it is?

      Reply
    7. Amanda says

      September 08, 2011 at 6:47 pm

      Sounds so yummy! You could use Coconut crystals instead of brown sugar, so much better for you!! Thanks for all your wonderful posts. Love that you use stevia or erithrtol!!

      Reply
    8. Zaria Callen says

      July 13, 2011 at 5:02 pm

      Wow, I made these and they're fantastic! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    9. sheila @ Elements says

      March 03, 2011 at 5:42 pm

      These sound awesome! I just bookmarked the recipe to try it the next time my sweet tooth acts up. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe. 🙂

      Reply
    10. Geraldine says

      January 02, 2011 at 3:11 am

      I made these tonight and love how healthy they are, even with the brown sugar! We had some, and are planning on keeping a lot for breakfast tomorrow morning. Thanks for sharing!

      Geraldine

      http://geraldineinablogspot.com

      Reply
    11. BakingWithoutABox says

      November 16, 2010 at 4:24 am

      I am a picky eater and my brother is even worse. But we would have both gone nuts for these bars. Great job!

      Reply
    12. Imwaytoobusy says

      November 12, 2010 at 11:08 pm

      Thanks for stopping by my blog! You have some great recipes on here. These look amazing!

      Reply
    13. Tessie of Germany says

      November 06, 2010 at 11:00 pm

      This is great I always feel stumped when it is my turn for snack days at my son's school because the snacks need to be healthy and not have excessive sugar and this seems so awesome! thanks a bunch

      Reply
    14. Healthy Mamma says

      November 06, 2010 at 1:23 am

      I have a super picky eater too, oh well 1 out of 4 isn't bad. I too try to make super healthy snacks so he gets all his vitamins and protein. These look sooo good.

      Reply
    15. Kristen says

      November 06, 2010 at 1:04 am

      Bars like that wouldn't last long in my house!

      Reply
    16. Mary says

      November 06, 2010 at 12:37 am

      Okay, these look delicious! Love this!

      Mary xo
      Delightful Bitefuls

      Reply
    17. The Urban Baker says

      November 05, 2010 at 8:30 pm

      I too, am making granola bars today. however, mine are made with whole wheat flour. I love how you got around the gluten element. I am going to have to try this! they look yummy! don't ya just love coconut oil? x

      Reply
    18. Spicie Foodie says

      November 05, 2010 at 4:58 pm

      Wow, those bars looks amazing! I love all of the ingredients you use. So glad to hear your little one loved them. Your persistence and kitchen talent have paid off this time 🙂

      Reply
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